Baptism has formed an important part of Christianity since the earliest times and the fonts in churches were considered important features, and were placed near the entrance. This was certainly the case in St Andrew’s, Aveton Gifford and it is well worth close inspection.

It is cut from granite, which one expert has identified as coming from Roborough. It has been described as one of the finest examples of a decorated gothic 14^th century font in the country and considering the hard stone from which it is made it is remarkably ornate.

It is octagonal in form and three of the panels carry grotesque human faces, two of them with protruding tongues, as if to frighten away evil spirits at baptism. Three of the  panels have shields on them and others feature quatrefoils (four-leafed figures) and crosses in different forms.

The bowl is protected by a wooden cover set with metal studs and this was the subject of a certain amount of contention in the 1920s and 30s.

As early as 1924, the then Rural Dean asked the Rector and Churchwardens to provide a cover for the font, which was without one. This request appears in the church book in which the requirements of his annual inspections were noted. Over the next few years this was repeated with increasing irritation until in 1930 he wrote “There is still no cover for the font, which is the only font in the Deanery without one”.

At last, in 1933, a triumphant note appears: “A font cover has now been provided!”

On the 26^th January 1943, ten years later, the church received a direct hit from a bomb and the font was knocked off its plinth. Fortunately, neither the font nor the cover was damaged and they can still be seen today at the west end of the church.